The siege of Banu Qurayza took place in Dhul Qa‘dah during January of 627 CE (5 AH) and followed on from the Battle of the Trench.

[7][8] According to Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri, Peters, Stillman, Guillaume, Inamdar and Ibn Kathir, on the day of the Meccans' withdrawal Muhammad led his forces against Banu Qurayza.

[1][2][9][10][11][12] Ibn Kathir gives the reason as: "Banu Qurayzah broke the covenant that existed between them and the messenger of Allah".

[2][19][20] The brutality of the event led researchers skeptics of traditional sources such as İhsan Eliaçık and Mustafa İslamoğlu to think that the story of 960 Jews who destroyed themselves by refusing to surrender to the Romans in the clashes between Jews and Romans believed to have taken place at Masada was adapted to Muhammad.

[21][22] Regarding the Qurayza massacre, Sami Aldeeb states that the incident is included in the Jewish holy texts, but according to these sources, Jews killed non-Jews.

Jewish tribes reportedly arrived in Hijaz in the wake of the Jewish-Roman wars and might have introduced agriculture, which may have put them in a culturally, economically and politically dominant position.

[26] The Qurayza did not participate in the fighting - according to David Norcliffe, but they lent tools to the Muslims, to defend themselves in Medina.

[31] According to Shibli Nomani, Ibn Ishaq writes that during the siege, the Qurayza readmitted Huyayy ibn Akhtab, the chief of the Banu Nadir whom Muhammad had exiled (during the Invasion of Banu Nadir),[32] Al-Waqidi reports that Huyayy tore up the agreement between Ka'b and Muhammad.

[7] According to Peters and Stillman, on the day of the Meccans' withdrawal, Muhammad led his forces against the Banu Qurayza neighborhood.

[9][10][11][12] According to The Sealed Nectar, a modern Islamic biography of Muhammad written by the Indian Muslim author Saif ur-Rahman Mubarakpuri, the Angel Gabriel visited Muhammad while he was washing clothes at Umm Salama’s house, asking that he should unsheathe his sword and go to the Banu Qurayza and fight them.

Mubarakpuri claims Gabriel said that he, with a procession of angels, would go ahead to the fort of the Banu Qurayza and cast fear in their hearts.

Ibn Kathir, mentioned the sequence of events in his Tafsir, as follows: The Messenger of Allah returned to Al-Madinah in triumph and the people put down their weapons.

So the Messenger of Allah got up immediately, and commanded the people to march towards Banu Quraiza, who were a few miles from Al-Madinah.

[2] [Tafsir ibn Kathir]Muhammad immediately summoned the prayer caller and ordered him to announce fresh hostilities against the Banu Qurayza, instituted Ibn Umm Maktum as a ruler of Medina, and entrusted the banner of war to ‘Ali bin Abi Talib, who marched towards the appointed target and came close enough to hear the Banu Qurayza abusing Muhammad, who on his part set out at the head of 3,000 infantry men and 30 horsemen of Ansar (Helpers) and Muhajireen (Emigrants).

As their morale waned, Ka'b ibn Asad (the chief of the tribe) suggested three alternative ways out of their predicament: embrace Islam, kill their own children and women, then rush out for a charge to either win or die; or make a surprise attack on the Sabbath.

According to Ibn Ishaq, Abu Lubaba felt pity for the women and children of the tribe who were crying and when asked whether the Qurayza should surrender to Muhammad, advised them to do so.

He suggested that Sa‘d bin Mu‘adh, a Muslim convert who was a former ally of the tribe, should decide their fate.

[9][10][11][13][26] According to Mubrakpuri, Stillman, Peters and Adil and Muir, when Sa'd arrived, his fellow Aws pleaded for leniency towards the Qurayza and on his request pledged that they would abide by his decision.

[1] Martin Lings, in his book "Muhammad: his life based on the earliest sources", page 231 and 232 said : Sa‘d was a man of mighty stature, of handsome and majestic appearance, and when he came to the camp the Prophet said "Rise in honour of your liege lord," and they rose to greet him saying: "Father of ‘Amr, the Messenger of God hath appointed thee to judge the case of thy confederates."

"Lings added the footnote 1 at the bottom of the page 232 1 Sa‘d's judgment was no doubt directed mainly against their treachery; but in fact it coincided exactly with Jewish law as regards the treatment of a besieged city, even if it were innocent of treachery: When the Lord thy God hath delivered it unto thy hands, thou shalt smite every male therein with the edge of the sword: but the women, and the little ones, and the cattle, and all that is in the city, even all the spoil thereof, shalt thou take unto thyself.

Deuteronomy 20: 12.- Daniel C. Peterson, in his book “Muhammad, Prophet of God”, page 127, said : After receiving promises from all the Muslims present that they would indeed abide by his judgment, Sa‘d decreed the execution of the men of Banu Qurayza, the enslaving of their women and children, and the division of their property among the muslims.5 “You have judged,” said the Prophet, “with the judgment of God from above the seven heavens.”6Daniel C. Peterson added the footnote 6 at the bottom of the page 127 Perhaps with some apologetic intent, the late English scholar Martin Lings notes, correctly, that Sa'd judgment accords with that of the law of Moses as recorded in Deut.

See Lings, p. 232 n.1.Sa'd dismissed the pleas of the Aws, according to Watt because being close to death and concerned with his afterlife, he put what he considered "his duty to God and the Muslim community" before tribal allegiance.

[26] Tariq Ramadan argues that Muhammad deviated from his earlier, more lenient treatment of prisoners as this was seen "as sign of weakness if not madness"[38] and Peterson concurs that the Muslims wanted to deter future treachery by severe punishment.

"Sahih al-Bukhari, 5:58:148A large arsenal of the Banu Qurayza which consisted of 1500 swords, 2000 spears, 300 armours and 500 shields, were confiscated by Muhammad.

[1][24][42] Huyai, a chief of Bani Nadir and Safiyah’s father, had joined the ranks of Banu Quraiza when Quraish and Ghatfan defected, was admitted into the audience of Muhammad with his hands tied to his neck with a rope.

She was with me, talking and laughing on her back and belly (extremely), while the Apostle of Allah (peace be upon him) was killing her people with the swords.

Sunan Abu Dawud 14:2665A few elements of the enemy embraced Islam and their lives, wealth and children were spared.

[1] Several accounts note Muhammad's companions as executioners, Ali and al-Zubayr in particular, and that each clan of the Aws was also charged with killing a group of Qurayza men.

I was among those who had not grown hair.Sunan Abu Dawood, 38:4390According to Mubrakpuri, Peters, Stillman, Guillaume and Inamdar, Islamic tradition says that the angel Gabriel and Muhammad spoke to one another before the attack.

[1][9][10][11][12] This is also mentioned in the Sunni hadith collection Sahih Bukhari: When Allah's Apostle returned on the day (of the battle) of Al-Khandaq (i.e. Trench), he put down his arms and took a bath.